Standard Merkur “Schnell-Lastwagen”

In September 1933, next to the renewed Superior, the Standard Fahrzeugfabrik introduced the Standard Merkur Schnell-Lastwagen or light truck. The Merkur was built on an extended and reinforced Superior chassis with a choice of 400 or 500 cc 2-cylinder 2-stroke engine. Unlike the Superior, however, the Merkur was equipped with a differential for the rear axle and forced water-cooling for the engine.

Leaflet for the Standard Merkur model year 1934

The Standard Merkur Schnell-Lastwagen was available as a flatbed truck (Pritschenwagen) or as a light van (Kastenwagen), including a variation as an ambulance. The styling of the front of the truck and the 2-seater cabin was directly based on the new Standard Superior passenger car.

Standard Merkur ambulance

To accommodate production of the new Superior and Merkur, next to its line of motorcycles and the 3-wheeled light truck Progress, in October 1933 the Standard Fahrzeugfabrik moved from Ludwigsburg into a new factory in Stuttgart-Feuerbach. Around the same time a new Standard sales office with showroom, workshop and spare parts warehouse was opened in Berlin.

In March 1934, the Merkur was on display next to the Superior at the Internationale Automobil- und Motorradausstellung (IAMA) in Berlin. The Standard Merkur Schnell-Lastwagen now became available in two versions:

Standard brochure showing the Merkur next to the P203, P503, H204 and H504

In 1935, next to the Merkur, Standard had introduced two new light truck models. One was available as a 3-wheeler in the type variations P203 (200 cc engine) and P503 (500 cc engine) and the second as a 4-wheeler in the type variations H204 (200 cc engine) and H504 (500 cc engine). These trucks had a different chassis construction that was no longer based on the patents of Josef Ganz – so production could not be jeapordized by Tatra’s claims over patent infringement. (see page about the Standard Superior)

Surviving carsThe Merkur was manufactured in different variations from 1933 to 1936, but no cars are known to have survived.

Newsletter

Get the news first: we'll inform you about our crowdfunding project, the documentary and upcoming events.